RUI: An Improved Measurement of the Electron-Antineutrino Correlation in Free Neutron Decay

RUI：自由中子衰变中电子-反中微子相关性的改进测量

• 批准号: 0653543
• 负责人: Alexander Komives
• 金额: $ 10.28万
• 依托单位: DePauw University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-01 至 2010-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0653543&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Improved; Measurement; Electron; Antineutrino

The electroweak standard model describes two of the four fundamental forces present in the universe. By conducting experiments that probe with increasing sensitivity phenomena that can be described with this model, it is hoped discrepancies will appear that will lead to a more complete understanding of the weak interaction. This interaction is responsible for the decay, or transformation, of the neutron into a proton, electron and antineutrino. By studying the correlations between the properties of the neutron and its decay products, more precise tests of the electroweak standard model can be performed. One of these correlations, know as little "a", involves the direction of emission of the electron and antineutrino from the decay region. Other neutron decay correlations are known to within 1%, but little "a" is only known to 4%. The aCORN, "a" CORrelation in Neutron decay, collaboration is in the process of building an apparatus that hopes to provide a 1%, if not better, measurement of "a" using a method that bypasses some of the problems inherent in previous experiments. The apparatus will be tested at the Low Energy Neutron Source (LENS) at Indiana University and then moved to NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology) where there is a neutron source strong enough to perform the measurement. This grant supports the contributions of the aCORN collaborators from the DePauw University Nuclear Physics group, including undergraduate researchers. As such, in addition to increasing what is known about the weak interaction, these efforts will also provide an opportunity for undergraduate researchers to experience firsthand how research is conducted, and to acquire a set of general critical thinking skills that will serve them well the rest of their lives.

电弱标准模型描述了宇宙中存在的四种基本力中的两种。 通过进行实验来探索可以用该模型描述的灵敏度增加的现象，希望出现差异，从而对弱相互作用有更全面的理解。 这种相互作用导致中子衰变或转变为质子、电子和反中微子。 通过研究中子性质与其衰变产物之间的相关性，可以对电弱标准模型进行更精确的测试。 其中一个相关性被称为小“a”，涉及电子和反中微子从衰变区的发射方向。 其他中子衰变相关性的已知程度在 1% 以内，但小“a”的已知程度仅为 4%。 aCORN（中子衰变中的“a”相关性）合作正在构建一种设备，希望使用绕过先前实验中固有的一些问题的方法来提供 1%（如果不是更好）的“a”测量。 该设备将在印第安纳大学的低能中子源（LENS）进行测试，然后转移到 NIST（美国国家科学技术研究所），那里有足够强的中子源来执行测量。 这笔赠款支持来自迪堡大学核物理小组的 aCORN 合作者（包括本科生研究人员）的贡献。 因此，除了增加对弱相互作用的了解之外，这些努力还将为本科生研究人员提供一个机会，让他们亲身体验研究是如何进行的，并获得一套对他们的余生有益的一般批判性思维技能。